Algernon Blackwood 
The Centaur 
Modern Myth — A Mystical Encounter in Secret Lands of Caucasus

The Centaur is a story of a man who is uncomfortable in the modern world and seeks to find the relief from this feeling. He takes vacation to get back in touch with Nature, and heads for Caucasus, the land, which he believes is not yet polluted with the imprint of progress. On his way, he encounters several individuals who argue both for and against the reality of his discomfort and the meaning behind it. Thus, the whole story turns into an opposition and, at the same time, friendship between two sorts of man: the skeptic and the dreamer. The conflict reaches its climax as climax as the travellers see a herd of the mythical creatures, centaurs. This encounter arouses the feeling of supernatural horror. The characters feel the outside force dominating them. Yet, each handles this situation differently. Some get obsessed, while others come away with a feeling of discovered truth. A deeply philosophical novel about our inner drive to discover the mysteries of the world, that remains topical for all times.

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Algernon Henry Blackwood (1869 – 1951) was an English broadcasting narrator, journalist, novelist and ghost story writer, most famous for his advantageous style of life and interests in supernatural. The protagonists of his stories often reflected his way of living. While being interested in Buddhism, he was mad about outdoor activities like skiing or mountain climbing. Blackwood was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and rendered the Cabbalistic themes in some of his novels. His most famous works are ‘The Centaur’, ‘The Willows’, ‘The Wendigo’.